In sports, the March Madness tournament brings chaos and treats us to some of the most unexpected moments. The one-game sudden-death format is a nightmare for the nation’s top teams as they cannot afford to have a bad day once the tournament starts.
This makes picking the correct winners a crapshoot when filling out the bracket, but we are going to do it anyway, so here’s our Final Four matchups for both the men’s and women’s brackets.
Adan
For the men’s bracket, my picks are University of Connecticut (UConn), University of Houston (Houston), University of Michigan (Michigan) and Gonzaga University (Gonzaga). March Madness is all about remaining consistent under pressure and UConn and Houston in particular are great in that sense.
For the past few years, these teams have had their fair share of both success and heartbreak, so they know what the bright lights feel like and are the least likely to crumble under pressure.
Michigan has looked like of the most dominant teams all year and I doubt that will change throughout the tournament. The Gonzaga pick is wishful thinking as a Zags fan.
When it comes to the Final Four matchups, I unfortunately have to take Michigan over Gonzaga and take UConn over Houston, with UConn taking the championship home.
In the women’s bracket, my picks for the Final Four are UConn, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Texas Christian University (TCU) and West Virginia University (West Virginia). UConn and UCLA are both well-coached, talented powerhouses and we are destined for a “unstoppable force meets an immovable object ” moment when they meet in the championship.
When it comes to TCU and West Virginia, I feel like these have the autonomy of teams that get hot during March. TCU has one of the best scoring margins in the nation, meaning that their offense could run away with the game at any given notice.
For West Virginia, the stats don’t jump out at you, but they won the Big 12 conference, which gives them momentum and that is something that should not be underestimated in March.
UConn and UCLA just feel like the teams to beat. I think they’ll both get past their Final Four matchups and give us an explosive championship game, with UConn prevailing.
Tanner
My picks to make the Final Four in the men’s bracket are Duke University (Duke), Houston, University of Arizona (Arizona), and Michigan.
Since the bracket was revealed last Sunday, Duke has somehow become underrated. Almost everyone has them getting upset and frankly I just don’t see it.
Don’t get me wrong, likely having to go through two of Bill Self, Rick Pitino, Tom Izzo and Dan Hurley doesn’t sound fun, but this Duke squad is one of the deepest teams in the nation led by freshman phenom Cam Boozer and I don’t think they’re going to go away easily.
Arizona and Michigan are two of the biggest teams in the country and have never ranked outside of the AP (Associated Press) Top 10 at any point this season. They each have a nice blend of experience and youth that should bode nicely for a Final Four run.
Houston will earn a favorable draw if they make it to the second weekend, playing both the Sweet 16 and the Elite Eight in Houston, Texas. Combining their potential for two home games and the experience they got from last year’s tournament run is too much to pass up. I’ll take a flier on the Cougars to make it out of this region.
Rounding out my bracket, I have Arizona beating Houston for the National Championship. Senior guard Jaden Bradley has Walter Clayton level closer ability, and the freshman duo of Koa Peat and Brayden Burries can score points in bunches. They’ve been the most consistent team all year, and I expect that consistency to roll all the way to Indianapolis where the Wildcats will cut down the nets.
For the women, I have UConn, University of South Carolina (South Carolina), Texas, and Louisiana State University (LSU) heading to Phoenix for the Final Four.
The four No. 1 seeds have been a step above the rest of the country all year, but my refusal to pick all chalk has LSU in my Final Four.
UConn needs no introduction. Their 34-0 season marks the first undefeated season in women’s college basketball since 2015.
Texas just defeated South Carolina in the SEC championship game, but both programs have been dominant for the past half decade.
All will try, but no one will be able to defeat UConn. Their riding the fifth longest win streak in Division I women’s college basketball history at 50 straight games, and I expect them to tack on six more by the time it’s all said and done.
Ty
On the men’s side, my Final Four picks are UConn, Houston, Arizona and Michigan.
I know that the East region is loaded with legendary coaches like Tom Izzo, Rick Pitino and Bill Self, and features the overall No. 1 seed in Duke, but I think in a season that has been so volatile that I trust Dan Hurley to get it done more than anyone.
UConn has one of the best rosters they’ve had since winning the national championship in 2024, and I think this team is loaded for a deep run in this tournament.
Houston is another No. 2 seed who have one of the best rosters in the country; they went to the national championship last year and now have help from star freshman Kingston Flemmings.
Arizona and Michigan have been the two best teams in the country in my opinion. Teams like Arkansas, Purdue, Virginia, or Iowa State could give them some troubles, but I think both No. 1 seeds handle their business and advance to Indianapolis.
I then have Houston defeating UConn to advance to the national championship and on the other side of the bracket I have Arizona defeating Michigan.
It then comes down to a Big 12 matchup between the Wildcats and the Cougars. Arizona swept Houston in the season series in two close games, so in theory they are the better team, however I have Houston learning from their previous two matchups and pulling off the upset to win the national championship.
For a team that has been knocking on the door for so long, Sampson and his crew finally reach the summit and raise the trophy on April 6, 2026.
On the women’s side, my final four picks are UConn, South Carolina, LSU and Michigan.
Similar to Tanner, I refuse to pick all chalk. I think that UConn and South Carolina have been two of the most dominant teams all year, which makes them super hard to pick against.
Texas has probably been the second-best team in the country; however, I think that the Wolverines behind sophomore guard Olivia Olson give them all they can handle and advance to Phoenix. Michigan has two losses by just three to UConn and UCLA, and I think when they play Texas in the Elite Eight, they finally find a way to get it done.
LSU is my other No. 2 seed I have going through. They have five losses this season, all of them coming to SEC teams including two to South Carolina. This team has a lot of size, they are quick, and they are deep, so when it comes down to it, I think they could find the upset against UCLA.
With all of these antics, I can’t pick against the team who hasn’t lost since this time last year.
Give me UConn to go back-to-back and win the National Championship.
Picture by WLKY.